Craft—
Keeping Cool: A Guide to Summer Play
Summer brings new adventures for young families, from longer days, to garden mornings and trips to the beach and parks. However, it is important to remember that babies are much more sensitive to heat than adults! What feels like a pleasant warm afternoon for us can quickly become uncomfortable, or even risky, for a little one. Keeping baby cool, shaded, and gently entertained takes a little more thought than simply reaching for the sun cream.
To help manage these new stresses, we have create a guide to sun protection and summer play with direct links to our own pieces that will make this season easier to navigate.
Finding Shade
Babies under six months old should generally be kept out of direct sunlight altogether, with shade being the key line of defence. An easy way to provide it is through using Muslin Blankets to cover prams or strollers. These blankets are a breathable and efficient way of providing shade while being compact and easily transportable - unlike traditional parasols.
Our 120x120 cm Muslin Blankets where designed with this in mind. Made in Italy from 100% cotton, they are light and breathable enough to drape over a stroller hood without trapping heat underneath - creating gentle, airy shade rather than a stuffy enclosed space. Available in designs including Blossom, Bunny & Bear, Blue Frame, Pink Frame, and Moonlight Voyage, they double easily as a light cover for tummy time in the shade, a burping cloth, or a soft layer over a pram mattress. These pieces match other furniture in our Nursey Collection, making them wonderful versatile add-ons to your baby's room.
Taking Play Outside
A change of scenery does everyone good, and a portable, washable play surface makes outdoor play in the garden, at the park, or on a shaded stretch of beach far more comfortable than a bare blanket.
Our Double-Sided Quilted Play Mats, in matching Nursery Collection designs, fold neatly for transport and unfold into a soft, padded surface that keeps baby off cold or uneven ground while still being light enough to carry in one hand. Being double-sided also means a quick flip refreshes the play space without needing to pack a second mat, useful for a long day out.
The polyester lining makes them easy to clean, preventing stains from grass and providing soft protection from sand and rocks. After a long day they need no more care than a simple wipe.
When It's Too Hot Outside
During the hottest part of the day, the best thing for baby is to be outside of direct sunlight and heat. Prolonged exposure to high temperatures, even in the shade, isn't advisable for very young children, so the middle hours of the day are better spent indoors.
This doesn't mean the day's sense of adventure has to pause. A dedicated play table brings its own kind of exploration - a surface for early creativity, learning, and imagination. Our Hand-Painted Play Tables with Pencil Holders, available in White, Pale Pink, Sage Green, Rose White and Natural Oak, are designed with exactly this in mind. Built-in pencil holders keep pens, crayons, and small treasures organised from the very start, encouraging tidy habits alongside imaginative ones. The glass-topped finish means any enthusiastic creative mess, crayon, paint, or otherwise, wipes away easily, so play can continue the next day without a mark left behind.
This article offers general guidance only and isn't a substitute for advice from a health visitor or paediatrician, particularly regarding sun exposure for very young babies.
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